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Troll Level
is a regular pipe.]] A Troll Level is a type of level created in Super Mario Maker (and its sequel) that focuses on tricking players to fall for various traps, as well as playing mind games whether that be to annoy the player or cause them to laugh. Common Types of Trolls Within troll levels, there are many different kinds of trolls, with the following being some of the more common examples. Back to Checkpoint 1 (CP1) After a player has made considerable progress in a level, a common way to frustrate them is by forcing them to go back to the first Checkpoint Flag resulting in them immediately losing progress and having to redo the rest of the level. This is often combined with the pick-a-path or hidden Warp Pipe trolls. Death Door/Pipe If the player enters the wrong door or pipe they will be lead into a death room or a softlock. This is often combined with the ability to hide Warp Pipes behind other objects, such as Skewers or another pipe, or with pick-a-path. Dick Vine Sometimes, when the player tries to enter a door they end up grabbing a vine instead. Starting in Super Mario Maker 2, vines now appear in front of the door instead of being completely hidden like before. Enemy Out of Nowhere A very common design is to have an enemy come from out of nowhere and land on Mario. Some ways to do this include offscreen Thwomps, Cheep Cheeps inside blocks, activating a P Switch causing Munchers to fall down and teleporting enemies through the use of the Stack Flipping Glitch. Another common troll is to drop a Wiggler onto a Conveyor Belt whenever Mario is near which forces the "butt" of the Wiggler to hit Mario. Fake Pink Coins A common thing to do in trolls levels is to place unnecessary Pink Coins in the level to force the player to guess whether they are needed or not. Fake Checkpoint Checkpoint Flags are often placed in a way that appears to be obtainable, but when in reality it is impossible to collect. This can also be done by placing Hidden Blocks directly behind the checkpoint flag to make Mario pass directly through it. Kaizo Block An invisible coin block that is placed near a pit with the intention of making the player fall to his or her death. It is often times filled with Boo Buddies or Cheep Cheep. Key Death Another way to force the player to immediately lose all of their progress in a level is by forcing them to get Key Death. If a player dies after collecting every available Pink Coin they will respawn with zero, forcing them to recollect them in order to progress. However, in certain levels, the level will provide an alternative way to reach the Goal, such as if they restart at a checkpoint they normally couldn't die around. In this case, the level can easily be skipped by waiting for the timer to run out at said checkpoint. Overlapped Objects A common troll is to overlap objects so that it appears to be one item when in reality it is another. This includes dropping a Super Mushroom onto a track while a Boo is hidden behind it, hidden sideways springs on tracks behind a Bill Blaster and hiding Warp Pipes and Conveyor Belts behind objects like Skewers or Pipes. Pick-a-Path / Guessing Game Forcing a player to play a guessing game of doors, pipes or paths is common in troll levels. If doors are used, a door will lead the player in the same room, or to a death trap. If pipes are used, sometimes the pipes will not be a warp pipe, or the pipe will lead the player to a death trap as well. This is also very commonly used to send a player back to the first checkpoint or to the beginning of the level. Creators of troll levels will only pick a single path to be able to let the player proceed further into the level. Softlocks A common thing to do in troll levels is to lure the player into an area that is impossible to further progress from. This is often done by placing a helpful item in an area that looks harmless. Additionally, some "softlock areas" have hard-to-reach mechanisms that allow the player to die. These areas are known as anti-softlocks or death rooms. Twice Twice This troll uses the player's prior knowledge against them by making them think they were sent back to an area previously in the level when in reality it is a duplicate room where the "correct solution" from the first room is now a troll. Twice Twices can also be complete remixes of a previous section of said troll course. Bait Troll levels are heavily filled with "bait" that is used to trick players into falling for the traps. This is also sometimes referred to as "shinies." This can also be used to make a player overthink a situation, which causes them to sometimes troll themselves. Items luring the player into an offscreen Thwomp.]] Items such as 1-Ups, Yoshi, Fire Flowers, Super Mushrooms, Super Stars and Pink Coins are often used to lure the player into falling into a trap. In troll levels, these items are often put in ditches covered by invisible blocks so the player is softlocked and is forced to reset the level. Arrows Arrows are a common bait, attempting to lead players in a pipe, door or a path. If it is a door later found in the level, there could be a chance it will be a death door or a door taking the player back to the beginning. Another thing is the door might also take the player to a death door, meaning that the door will have spike traps or enemies waiting on the other side of the door. If it is a pipe, sometimes, an arrow will point down on the pipe and will attract the player to go in the pipe, only to find out that the pipe doesn't warp Mario to a subworld, and attempting to leave the fake pipe will jail Mario with Invisible blocks. If the pipe works, it'll take Mario to a death pipe, meaning that spike traps or enemies are waiting on the other side of the pipe. When arrows point to a path, there's a good chance that the path will lead Mario to a death path, or imprisoning Mario. How to Beat Troll levels generally involve trial-and-error gameplay where the player must memorize the correct route through the process of elimination. Becoming familiar with common troll setups can also help a player know what to look out for when playing through a troll level. Alternatively, in Super Mario Maker, it is possible to download the level to see how it is designed by opening it in the course editor. This makes it possible to see where the various traps are located, find any Hidden Blocks, as well as check which doors or pipes are safe to enter. This greatly helps remove the trial-and-error aspect of troll levels and can help the player to become less tricked upon replaying the level. Generally, it is advised to locate the goal and work backward towards the beginning. Removed action in Super Mario Maker 2 Unfortunately in Super Mario Maker 2, the role of looking into the editor of another user's course is no longer an action, so players are going to have to solve the troll course on their own. Users can still download courses and will have the ability to play them offline. Additional trolls not mentioned: *Random Bob-omb Explosions *Sideways spring launchers *Wrong way arrows *Bottomless pits *Moving bullet blasters *Spiked skull coasters *Snake block rides/fakeout snake blocks (they can be linked to any good troll or softlock) Trivia *The main reason for how troll levels got their name is from the internet slang "troll", which are people who use distractions or behaves in a vile way. *Although troll levels used to involve generally frustrating levels with unorganized level design, some of the newer troll levels (popularized by CarlSagan42) involve surprise mechanics and puzzle elements. See Also *Trolling for Dummies (reference book for designing good troll levels) Category:Super Mario Maker Category:Level Types